Chapter 3 – Rite of Passage
The completion of this chapter had some delays because of several things in my personal life and the even more increased busyness of work. It's unfortunate, but I can't change anything about it.
In this chapter Aisha will hunt her Akul, so let's get right to it. Hope you enjoy.
;-
"You are ready."
Aisha opened her eyes and was instantly awake. She wasn't even sure when and how she had fallen asleep. She remembered returning to their hut the day before, sharing another meditating session with Ahsoka before heading to bed. The excitement had still been very present in her mind, but she had managed to fall asleep after all.
"You are ready."
The words echoed through her mind again. She had spent four days practicing with the hunters of the tribe to prepare for her own hunt. Yesterday had been filled with a bunch of hard challenges and tests. It had been difficult and very trying, but she had succeeded and passed everything. At the end of the day, the hunt master had approached her and spoken those words.
"You are ready."
Excitement had been bubbling through her ever since that moment. The veteran hunters of the tribe believed that she was ready to hunt her first Akul. Today would be the day that she went out into the fields to find her prey. She quickly got ready and left her room in the hut.
Ahsoka was waiting for her in the other room and smiled at her. "Good morning Aisha," she greeted her. "Well? Are you all set for the hunt?"
Aisha nodded and walked up to her. "Good morning sis!" she replied excitedly. "Yes, I was pretty surprised yesterday when the hunt master said I was ready, but I feel prepared now. I'm ready to do this."
Ahsoka smiled and nodded as well. "I like your enthusiasm. Remember what you were taught, stay focused and I know that you will succeed," she told her sister. "Come on, let's go and eat something. After that, it's time for you to set out on your hunt."
Aisha nodded eagerly at that and the two of them left their hut.
;-
After a good breakfast and numerous wishes of good fortune by the members of the Zalanos tribe, Aisha and Ahsoka stood at the edge of their settlement with the hunt master of the tribe. Aisha now had her spear in her hands and a bow on her back with a number of arrows in the quiver hanging at her side. She was ready to set out on her hunt.
The hunt master turned to Aisha. "You are ready, young one," he told her. "Now is the time for you to set out on your hunt. Take what you have learned from us and you will be able to succeed."
"Thank you, I will do my best," Aisha replied, smiling at the older Togruta. "you have taught me so much. I feel ready to do this."
"Very good," the hunt master said as he nodded. "Keep your spirit strong and you can most certainly succeed." He gestured at four other hunters waiting nearby. "As we do, to ensure the safety of our people, they as seasoned hunters will shadow you during your hunt. Should the Akul prove to be too much of a challenge, and there is no shame if it should, they will come to your aid to guarantee your safe return. If this is not necessary, they will come to aid you in bringing your kill back to the tribe. Now then, it is time for you to set out. May the spirits of our ancestors guide you in this, one of our most ancient traditions."
Aisha nodded and gave a slight bow to the hunt master. She then turned to her sister.
Ahsoka gave her a confident smile. "It's time sis," she said encouragingly. "Remember everything that you're learned, stay focused on your task and I'll be waiting here to hear about your success. May the Force be with you."
Aisha nodded and smiled. "I'll do my best not to disappoint you," she replied with confidence. She then turned around and started making her way towards the vast lands outside the settlement. A few others gathered around wished her well as she set out to hunt her prey.
;-
A soft breeze blew through the vast plains, causing the Turu grass to softly wave back and forth as Aisha crept through it. Some ways behind her, she could sense the slight ripples caused by the veteran hunters that were following her. She tuned them out, they would come to her if it was necessary, but if it was up to her, they would only come to help her bring her kill back to the tribe.
She moved slowly and slightly crouched through the Turu grass, letting it conceal her as she searched for her prey. The spear was a very comfortable weight in her hands. The bow was on her back, resting there until she needed to use it. She felt ready and prepared.
It was a great day on Shili. The sun was shining brightly and there wasn't a cloud to be seen for miles. The fields around her were filled with life of all sorts. Different forms of plant life gave everything around her a beautiful array of colors. Many insects flew around from flower to flower, creating a slight buzzing in the wind. A few Thimiars scattered through the grass here and there. She was slightly temped to instinctively chase after them, but she had a much bigger target right now.
She continued tracking through the plains, searching for her prey. It was only a matter of time before she found an Akul. The one thing that mattered was if she would find it first of if the Akul would find her first. The successful outcome of her hunt might very well depend on that, so she continued to carefully track further.
;-
After thirty minutes of stalking through the wide fields, Aisha had found a clear sign of a nearby Akul: a few eaten corpses of Thimiars, the blood still wet in the earth. A few bloody paw prints could be seen, so she followed their direction, searching for her prey. As she did so, she followed her sister's lessons and did her best to release her growing excitement into the Force. She needed a clear head for this.
A few heavy sounding thumps sounded in her montrals, so she slowed down and crouched a bit lower. Taking care not to make too much sounds, she crept closer in the direction of the footsteps. She moved further for about a minute and then she froze. There, a short distance away from her, was her prize.
The Akul stood there, turned away from her, drinking some water from a small stream. Excitement, but also worry, started to fill her. This Akul was big, much bigger than the training dummies they had been practicing with in the tribe.
The Akul hadn't noticed her yet, so she quietly moved herself into a slightly better vantage point. From there, she slowly drew her bow and readied an arrow. Nervousness grew in her. Once she let go, there was no going back. It would be the Akul or her. She took a deep breath and drew on the Force like her sister had taught her, then she let go.
The arrow soared towards the Akul. The beast moved slightly at that moment, causing the arrow to strike it in the thicker skin behind its neck. It roared loudly in pain, startling Aisha slightly. She quickly drew another bow and moved to fire at the beast again. She let the arrow fly, but the rush of adrenaline coursing through her made her aim less steady. The arrow hit the Akul, but it scraped along its thick skin, only creating a minor cut, but revealing her position to the beast. It turned to her and gave another roar before it charged at her.
Aisha took a quick breath and swiftly placed her bow aside, it wouldn't serve her well anymore now. She grabbed her spear and stood upright, taking a solid stance. The Akul lunged at her and she dodged to the side. This close, the beast looked even larger and it worried her, but determination and adrenaline overrode the fear that normally would have taken hold of her.
The beast moved out of its lunge and faced her, growls sounding from its throat as it slowly moved around her at a slight distance. Aisha moved as well, the spear firmly in her grasp, not wanting to give the beast an opportunity to get the drop on her. She moved backwards a bit and a little sideways, keeping a slight bit of distance between her and the Akul so that she has time to dodge its attacks. She kept calm and waited for it to make a move.
She didn't have to wait long. With a fierce growl, the Akul lunged at her again, its jaw aiming for her throat. She dodged and tried to stab the beast with the spear, but her hit was off and the blade scraped the Akul's side instead. The beast roared and swiped at her with one of its large claws. She dodged again, but the sharp pain in her back told her that she was slightly too late.
She quickly put a bit of distance between her and the Akul. She swiftly put her hand on her back and it came back stained with her blood. She winced a bit at the pain shooting through her, but she did as her sister had taught her and tried to release the pain into the Force. It helped slightly and she brought her full focus back on the Akul.
Having caught the scent of her blood, the beast roared again and charged at her. Instead of panicking or letting her worry take her over, she took a deep breath and focused. She stood solidly in the stance she had been taught, spear at the ready, and she waited for the right moment. The Force was by her side and she saw the beast's move before it made it. She dodged to the left, the Akul's claw just passing by her face. She ignored the shot of pain in her back and trusted full force with her spear, striking the Akul in the throat.
Aisha rolled over the floor as the beast flew over her from the momentum of its strike. It gave a few strangled, wheezing growls before it collapsed to the ground with a pound that resounded heavily in her montrals.
For a short moment, all she could do was sit there and stare at the dead beast. Dead by her hands, the reality of it sinking into her mind made her smile. "I did it," she said softly as her smile grew. She had successfully completed their people's rite of passage, the fallen Akul lying there was the undeniable proof. The cuts in her back stung, but the adrenaline and excitement made it feel more like a dull ache than a wound caused by the claws of an Akul.
She heard footsteps walking up to her and looked in that direction. The four hunters of the tribe that had been shadowing her walked up to her. The female huntress that had been one of her instructors looked at her kill, seizing it up, before smiling at Aisha. "Well done, warrior sister," she said warmly. "Very well done indeed. To kill a full-grown Akul at your young age, very impressive."
Aisha smiled widely at her. "Thank you!" she replied excitedly. "I couldn't have done it without the lessons of you and the others."
"It was our pleasure to teach you, warrior sister," the huntress replied. "Come, let us help you bring your kill back to the tribe. You can see the healer for your wound and after that it's time for you to fashion your own headdress."
Aisha beamed as the other hunters tied a few ropes around the fallen Akul and they began dragging the beast back to the tribe.
;-
By the time they arrived back at the tribe, Aisha's back was stinging a little more, but the joy of her success overrode the feelings of pain mostly. The moment they walked back into the settlement, numerous cheers of applause were instantly heard, causing Aisha to break out into a smile. She could sense their joy for her, but she could also sense some disbelief amongst some of them when they took in the size of the beast.
Ahsoka walked up to her right away. Mindful of the wound on her back, she gave her little sister a hug. "Well done Aisha, I knew you could do it," she said with a big smile. "You have definitely proved yourself as a Togruta today, taking down such a large Akul."
Aisha smiled happily at her sister's words. "Thanks 'Soka!" she replied, still shaking a little from the whole experience. "But I did get hurt…" she added a bit dejectedly.
Ahsoka gave her a comforting smile. "Don't worry about that sis. The Akul are very powerful beasts. Sometimes even the most experienced hunters will get hurt. It's very rare that someone makes it through their first hunt completely unscathed," she replied. "I know I didn't."
"Really?" Aisha asked in surprise.
Ahsoka nodded. "Yes, even I got hurt," she added with a little smirk. She looked over at the Akul felled by her sister. "I think the beast I killed was roughly that same size as well. I did kill it, but it gave me a really nasty gash on my arm. Thankfully between the treatment of the healers here and the healers at the Temple, I healed nicely without a scar. So, you have no reason to feel ashamed at being hurt."
Aisha nodded and looked around a bit. A few of the older Togruta here, the hunt master as well, all sported scars, obviously caused by large claws and teeth. "Okay," she said as she nodded.
At that point, chief Thiros joined the two. "Well done, young lady Aisha," he greeted her. "It is a pleasure to welcome our newest warrior sister."
Aisha looked to him and smiled. "Thank you," she replied as she bowed her head a little. "The hunters of your tribe taught me well and because of that I was able to succeed."
"You are most welcome, young warrior sister," the hunt master said with a smile. "It was our pleasure to teach you."
Chief Thiros smiled as well. "Come, let's have the healer take a look at your wounds. Tonight's feast will be in your honor," he told her. Aisha smiled widely at that.
"Come on sis, let's go. After the healer has looked you over, you can get started on your headdress," Ahsoka told her. Aisha nodded eagerly and the two of them started making their way to the healer's hut, Aisha receiving many congratulations along the way.
;-
After a visit to the healer of the tribe and a moment to rest and eat, Aisha felt much better. Ahsoka had brought some bacta along with them, but she said that the medicine used by the healers of the tribe would work just as well. She hadn't been too sure as she watched the healer mix and grind several herbs together, turning it all into a paste of sorts, but after it had been applied, she definitely believed it.
Now wrapped up with a bandage, her wound no longer stung at all. If she just took it easy for a little while, it would recover fully. Also, Ahsoka had promised her that they would look into some aspects of using the Force to increase the healing speed. That had her really interested.
Now, the two sisters were in the company of another woman from the tribe called Sardeya. The copper-colored woman was one of the crafting instructors of the tribe. Normally she taught the people of her tribe about all sorts of sewing, weaving and other crafts, but now she would assist Aisha with her headdress.
"It is my pleasure to welcome you here, warrior sister," Sardeya told Aisha. "And it is good to see you again as well, milady. You left quite the impression on us and it seems that prowess for hunting Akul runs in the family now doesn't it?" she said as she looked at Ahsoka.
"It is nice to you again," Ahsoka replied with a smile. "Your help back then was very much appreciated and I've worn my headdress every single day since then." She looked over at Aisha. "And you're right, my little sister has continued to impress me every time."
Aisha smiled at that before turning to the older woman. "It's nice to meet you as well," she said.
Sardeya smiled at her as well. "Alright then young one, let's get started," she said as she grabbed a small box and handed it to Aisha. "While you were with the healer, we prepared your teeth for you. Now it's up to you to decide what your headdress will look like."
Aisha eagerly took the box and opened it to find the teeth of her kill. She took them out of the box and laid them out in front of her, inspecting them all. Sardeya instructed her how to put them all together. Similar to her sisters' headdress, she took the largest tooth for the center of her headdress. She then took a small tooth and placed it next to it, followed by a medium one, then another small one and finally a bit larger medium one at the end. Satisfied with how it looked, she did the same for the other side of her headdress.
With Sardeya's assistance, she linked the teeth together. With Ahsoka's help, she made a small adjustment to the center tooth that would allow her to link a string of beads to her headdress as well. She always liked how they looked on her sister, so she wanted to be able to do that as well. Ahsoka had told her how she wore her Padawan braid like that as well. Considering she was, in their own ways, her sister's padawan, she figured it would fit well with her too.
"I think that looks like a fine headdress," Sardeya commented as she looked it over. She beckoned over her assistant. "Please go and treat this in the fire. We can finish it after that," she asked the other Togruta. As the male left the tent, Sardeya turned her attention back to Aisha. "While we wait, we can get started on your sash. The leather from the Akul is ready. Would you like it similar to your sisters'? With the design of our tribe in it as well?"
Aisha nodded. "Yes, thank you, I'd like that. I would really like it to remind me of your tribe and my hunt here," she replied.
"That is very kind of you, young warrior," Sardeya said as she readied everything they would need. "Have you thought of other designs you want as well?"
Aisha nodded again. "Yes, I have," she replied. She knew that Ahsoka had done the same, but after returning to Shili, to her family, she had also sewn in a new pattern: that of her own family. Aisha wanted to do the same, but slightly different. "Just like my sister, I want to add my families' crest as well, but I want to not only add the one from my new family, but also the one from my birth parents."
Ahsoka smiled at hearing that. "I think that that's a really nice thing to do Aisha," she said kindly as she placed a hand on her sisters' shoulder. Aisha looked at her and smiled as well. "I'm sure that it will look great. "
"Indeed, I think so too," Sardeya said as she gestured at everything in front of her. "Now then, let's get started, shall we?" Aisha nodded and moved over a bit, ready to begin.
;-
After working with Sardeya for about an hour, Aisha had neatly finished her sash. It fit perfectly on her belt, with her lightsabers on each side of it. Her headdress had also been finished and they had worked to fit it on her head. Now with both her headdress on her forehead and the sash on her belt, Aisha happily turned to her sister.
Ahsoka smiled at her. "You look fantastic, my young warrior sister," she said warmly, making Aisha break out into a smile as well. "Hang on, let me get your picture like this. It will serve as a nice memento to this day." Aisha nodded and stood still with a big smile on her face as her sister took her picture.
When she was done, Aisha turned to Sardeya. "Thank you for your help. I really like both my headdress and the sash. I'll make sure to take good care of both," she said with a smile.
"It was my pleasure. I know that you will wear them both with pride, warrior sister," Sardeya replied.
Aisha gave a light bow to the older Togruta and left the tent with Ahsoka.
;-
Later that day, all members of the Zalanos tribe had gathered for the evening meal. The gathering of people seemed a tad livelier today than in the days before. Another difference of today was that there was also a large amount of Akul meat. Aisha's kill, that she had shared with the tribe as the tradition normally was.
Before they began the meal, chief Thiros addressed everyone. "Today, our usual meal is generously complimented by a feast of the Akul. A gift from our newest warrior sister, Aisha Tano," he told everyone. "I hope that you will all join me in congratulating her bravery and spirit."
All those gathered joined in applause. The younger members of the tribe cheered excitedly. A little overwhelmed by the attention, Aisha could feel her lekku darkening. Her sister seated next to her gently squeezed her shoulder, signaling her pride. A short moment later, the applause died down again.
"Young Aisha, may our ancestors continue to smile upon you and bless you with a good life," Thiros said to her with a smile. "Now then everyone, let us partake of this feast." With a gesture from him, the people that had prepared the food began to pass it out amongst the people of the tribe. Aisha and Ahsoka were given the meat first, seeing as it was her kill.
Aisha smiled happily as she ate the Akul meat. It tasted great, the people of the tribe had prepared it really well. She also couldn't help but wonder about what the hunters of the tribe had said, that the meat tasted better when it was your own kill. There seemed to be some truth to it in her eyes.
During the meal and after it, several people of the tribe had given her personal congratulations as well. Especially several younger people of the tribe had really spoken highly of her bravery, to hunt an Akul at her young age. Like her sister, she had definitely left a lasting impression with the tribe.
;-
Night had fallen on Shili and Ahsoka and Aisha were back in their hut. Ahsoka hugged her sister tightly, but made sure not to put any pressure on the wound on her back. "You did fantastic today Aisha. I am very proud of you and I hope that you will always remember this day fondly," she said as she pulled back from the hug.
"Thank you sis," Aisha replied with a big smile. "Today was a very exciting day. I'm sure that I'll always remember it. I'll also remember the people of the tribe that helped me. I couldn't have done it without them."
Ahsoka nodded and smiled. "That's good," she said. "It's always important to remember those that helped you. In the Order, they always said that knowledge is meant to be shared. That what you learn yourself, you can someday pass onto others." She looked fondly at her sister with her headdress. "You really do look good with a headdress."
Aisha smiled happily at that.
"Why don't you go and rest up now? You're more than earned it," Ahsoka suggested. "We'll be flying home tomorrow. I'm sure that everyone will be proud to see your accomplishment." She smirked. "And I'm sure that it'll ease mom's worrying as well."
Aisha couldn't help but giggle a bit at that. Their mother did have the tendency to worry like that. When Ahsoka had first mentioned that she wanted to take Aisha on an Akul hunt, she had grown quite pale. It had taken a few talks and heavy reassurances from Ahsoka that she would look out for her little sister, before they were able to start planning the actual trip itself.
"I'm sure that she'll be glad that we're home again." Aisha replied with a smile. "She really didn't like the idea at first."
"No, she didn't," Ahsoka said as she shook her head. "Well, I'm headed to bed as well. It's a bit of a long flight back tomorrow. Sweet dreams sis."
"Goodnight!" Aisha replied before she followed her sister's lead and headed to her own bed. After getting ready and changing into her lighter night clothes, she sat on the bed. With care, she removed her headdress and sat it down gently on the small nightstand. She smiled happily and laid down to go to sleep. There wasn't a single moment of doubt in her mind that she would always remember this day.
;-
That's the end of this chapter.
Aisha successfully completed her Akul hunt and made her own headdress. She did get scratched a bit, but she'll be just fine thanks to the healer's work.
The next chapter for this story will be the last. During their flight back, there's something that Ahsoka wants to try out. She felt that it was a bit better to do so outside of the cities. This event will be important later on in my main stories. I'm going to work on making this chapter first now.
Once this side story is done, I'll return to my main two stories Tale of a Togruta and A Mirialan's Story. The time skip for those stories will finally be over. I think that Barriss will get the first updates, seeing as the events I've planned for her take place just before those of Ahsoka's.
Until next time.
